Bee Swarms
Why do Bees Swarm?
Bees swarm to reproduce their colonies. It is nature doing its thing! Usually a queen will fly off from the old colony and take about half of the flying bees with her. Often they settle first in a spot close to the old colony where they cluster in a ball. From there they will send out scouts to find a more permanent home. The swarm ball might stay for a a few hours or up to a day or two.
The Asian honeybee in Townsville!!
The Asian Honeybee has been found and eradicated in Townsville several times, see our page on Asian Honey Bees
* Please contact Biosecurity 13 25 23 if you see bee swarms or unusual bee activity. Asian Honey Bees carrying Varroa mite have been detected in our region.
What to Do?
Do not spray the bees with anything. Don’t be frightened! During swarming, bees are extraordinarly docile because they are focussed on finding a new home, not on attacking or stinging you!
Don’t attack them with pesticides – contact us! This is often a chance for our members to expand their apiary, so we do it gladly!
Difference b/w a Swarm & Established Nest
A swarm of bees will cluster in a tempory location before moving to a permanent location and they will not start to build comb. This is the best time to capture the swarm and relocate them to a suitable location. Once the swarm has found a suitable site they will begin building combs and establishing the nest. An established nest is a lot more difficult to relocate and may also require work to gain access to the nest especially if located within a buildings frame work.
Swarm / Nest Removal Contact List
Swarm Collection – European Honey Bees
Duane Saltmer Alice River 0400 339 508
Sonya Verburgt Gulliver 0408 530 991
Sharene Dougall Bluewater 0415 426 903
Bruce Mogensen Railway Estate – Idalia 0427 174 705
Liz Hennig Northern Beaches 0409 067 367
Ronelle Nord Alice River/ Rupertswood 0417 752 622
Pat Dury Aitkenvale 0419 252 829
Wendy Davey Woodstock, Alligator Creek, Giru, Charters Towers 0413 319 933
Nest Removals from houses, trees and other structures
Wendy Davey Woodstock, Alligator Creek, Giru, Charters Towers 0413 319 933
Native Bee Removal
Bruce Warren Townsville 0413 395 928